Reflection Questions:
What did you experience during your travel that you found especially interesting? Why was it interesting?
I was especially interested in the Dane’s mode of transportation and laid back lifestyle. Bicycles and mopeds are more popular in Denmark than the conventional car, SUV, or truck found in the U.S. It's weird that I have not seen a single SUV or pick up truck roaming the streets of Viborg since we got here. The Danes obviously do not depend on or spend alot of money on gas. Surprisingly, biking 8 to 10 miles one way to work is not that big of a deal here.
What did you experience during your travel that you found especially negative? Why was it negative?
The weather was the only experience during my travel that I found especially negative. While we were on our way to O’Hare airport it was down pouring and it only slowed down a little right before we boarded our plane at 10 PM. After a long flight we got off the plane in Copenhagen and were greeted with more gray weather and rain. The weather in Viborg has been windy, cold, and very cloudy these past few days. Hopefully the weather will get slightly warmer as the weeks progress.
What are your initial impressions of the country you are visiting, the town you are living in, your accommodations, the people you are interacting with, or any other initial impressions that you would like to share?
My initial impressions of Denmark have been very positive. On the first day of our arrival Jess and I went to Netto, a small grocery store near our housing unit. We quickly discovered we could not read any of the labels in the store because they were all in Danish. People in the store, however, caught on that we were Americans and tried to help us to the best of their ability. Those living in the town and in our unit are very friendly, helpful, and talkative. I look forward to meeting more people in our housing units and at Foulum.
What are you most excited about in looking forward to the next several weeks? Why are you excited about that?
I am most excited about exploring more of Denmark and meeting the researchers and students at Foulum. I look forward to learning more about the differences between Denmark and the U.S. in terms of agriculture, social and political issues, and culture.
